CHAPTER XXX.
AFTERWARDS.
It was nearly a month before the doctors would consent to my beingmoved, and even then they grudged their permission. All the time I laylike a Royal Prince in the Palace with all the world ready to do mylightest wish. Had I been in a hospital, I believe the doctors wouldhave sent me packing a full fortnight earlier; but wounds heal slowlywhen the State has to pay the doctors' fees.
The time was pleasant enough, however, save for one thing. I was fullof anxiety on Olga's account. Prince Bilbassoff brought my friendBalestier to me and he stayed all the time, and used all his efforts tofind some trace of her whereabouts. The Emperor, too, promised thatall in his power should be done to find her; and whenever I saw PrinceBilbassoff I importuned him also on the same quest; and his promiseswere as ripe as the Czar's.
She was not found, however, and I fretted and worried until Balestierdrove home the conviction that the best thing I could do was to hurryand get well, and then set out to search for her myself. This pacifiedme, and I did all that was possible to help the doctors.
But this failure to find her was a never-ending subject of thought, aswell as of somewhat angry satire when the opportunity offered. One daywhen the Prince came I rallied him strongly on the matter, thinking togibe him into greater activity.
"Your agents are poor hounds, Prince," I said. "They bay loudly enoughon the trail, but they don't find."
"They have found the brother," he answered quietly. "And the girlcan't be far off."
"The brother be hanged," cried I.
"Not by the Russian hangman. He doesn't mean to return here; but hehas dropped your name and probably by this time has left Parisaltogether. He knows the facts--or some of them; our agent told himthem; and he means to put as great a distance between himself andRussia as the limitations of the globe will permit."
"He's a poor creature. How was he found?"
"As usual--a woman."
"Well, I owe him no grudge. He has given me a better part than I everthought to play in life. And a good wife too--if we can only find her."
"We shall find her. The woman's not born that can hide herself fromus, when we are in earnest."
"Well, I wish you'd be thoroughly in earnest now. If you were only asmuch in earnest as you were about that duel...."
"I am; for I owe you more than if you had fought the duel." I lookedat him in some astonishment. "I have only to-day heard the definitedecision," he continued. "You gave me the clue, and I did not fail tofollow it up. You say my men are not sleuth hounds. Give them a bloodscent like that and try."
"All of which is unintelligible to me," I replied, noting with surprisehis excitement and exultation.
"Heavens, lad, I'm more sorry than ever you're not going to join us.And now that that hindrance is out of the path, the path is brighterthan ever. What fools you young fellows are to go tumbling into whatyou call love, and playing the devil with a career for the sake ofmuslin and silks and pretty cheeks. I suppose..." he lookedquestioningly, and waited as if for me to speak.
"Suppose what?" I knew what he meant well enough, but liked to makehim speak out.
"That you've really made up your mind or whatever you call it, not tostop in Russia?"
"Absolutely. I'm going to commit social suicide and marry forlove--that is, if I can only find my sweetheart; or rather if you canfind her for me."
"I wish I couldn't," he returned; and then fearing I shouldmisunderstand him, added:--"I don't mean that. I mean, I'm sorry I'mnot to have your help."
"At one time it looked as though you were going to have it whether Iwould or no, and I'm afraid I may have misled you and--and otherssomewhat. I'm sorry for this."
"Save your vanity, youngster," he said with a short laugh,understanding me. "My sister is no love-sick maiden with her head fullof a silly fancy that any one man is necessary to her."
I flushed a little at the rebuke; and bit my lip.
"We wanted you for Russia, not for ourselves," he added, after a pause."You have already done the Empire a splendid service; and that's whyyou're regretted. Though, mark me, I don't say, now that things haveturned out as they have, I should not have been a bit proud of you as amember of my family."
"What service do you mean? Saving my own skin?"
"No. Overthrowing the Grand Duke. He is completely broken. No trapcould have snared him half so well. It has now come out that thedisposition of the troops was his sole work; he himself arranged thevery order of the trains; and the minute details which he executed wereknown to him alone. He laid his plans splendidly for his infernalpurpose, and had you been the man he anticipated--the dare-devil whohad killed Tueski--nothing could have saved the Emperor's life. ButGod in His mercy willed the overthrow of as clever a villain as wasever shielded by high rank. That particular slip no man could havepossibly foreseen; but he made another which surprised me. Only alittle thing, but enough. When I came to look closely into thebusiness I found that he had worked out in the greatest detail all thearrangements for the last journey and the disposition of the troops,and had committed them to paper in a number of sealed orders. These hedated back to the previous Saturday; but only gave them out the lastthing on Sunday night. His object was of course that when inquiriescame to be made the dates on the papers should tell their own story andprove, apparently, that, as they had been given out on the Saturday,there would have been plenty of time for it to have leaked out to theNihilists through some one of the many officials who would be inpossession of it, at the time you proved it was known to the Nihilists.On that supposition there were a hundred channels through which itwould have got out, and the Duke would have been only one among many ina position to divulge the secret. Like a fool he thus drew the coilclose round his own body; and as soon as the Emperor knew that, my menmade a search. That did the rest effectually."
"And what has happened to him?"
"What should happen to such a man?" answered the Prince, sternly.
"Death."
"Right. But the Emperor would not. He's as soft as a pudding. Theman is imprisoned, that's all. For life, of course. But rats have anugly trick of slipping out as well as into a dungeon. And if he everdoes get out, boy, you will have one enemy powerful enough to make evenyou cautious."
"Keep him safe, then," I laughed. "For when I leave Russia, I want toleave all this behind me."
"You may look for trouble of some kind from the Nihilists, however."
"They are not taken very seriously by us English, Prince," I replied.
"Maybe; but remember you have been a Russian for a couple of months,and have dealt them a stroke that they will never forget."
He left me soon after that, but I did not pay any serious heed to hiswarning. I pondered his news, however. I was glad that AlexisPetrovitch had ceased to masquerade in my name; but I could notunderstand how it was that if the Russian agents could so easily findthe brother, they should be baffled in their search for Olga. But itspurred my anxiety to go a-hunting on my own account; and I washeartily glad therefore, when the doctors agreed to release me, and mymarching orders for St. Petersburg came.
By the Emperor's commands I was taken straight to his Palace; and hisMajesty's reception could not have been more gracious than it was.
He loaded me with signs of his favour; with his own hands pinned to mybreast the highest Order he could confer on a foreigner; and dideverything except press me to enter his service.
"Your sojourn in Russia is associated in my mind with so painful andterrible an event, and you are personally connected with it so closely,that in my service you would always serve to keep open a wound thatbleeds at the mere reference. I am like a man who has givenunrestrainedly the kisses of love and received in return the poison ofthe asp. Moreover, Prince Bilbassoff tells me that you have made upyour mind to go to your own country; and while you will, I hope, alwaysbe my friend, and I, with God's help, will always be yours, I shall notseek to detain you."
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"I am even now impatient to be away, your Majesty," I replied, "andcrave your leave to go at once. I hope to leave St Petersburgimmediately." I spoke with the eagerness of a lover; and his replysurprised, and indeed, dismayed me.
"No, Mr. Tregethner, that I cannot suffer. I should feel an ingrate ifI permitted you to leave without accepting my hospitality. I do notlike an unwilling guest; but for a fortnight more at least you mustremain here."
I looked at him quickly in my amazement, and then with a bow said:--
"Your Majesty has promised me the gracious distinction of yourfriendship; and as a friend I appeal to you to permit me to be yourguest at another time. The matter I have in hand is very urgent."
"I am not accustomed to have my wishes in these matters questioned,"returned the Emperor; and at that moment I wished the Imperialfriendship at the bottom of the Baltic.
It meant that just when I was well and strong, and in every way able tostart on the task that was more to me than anything else on earth, Ihad to cool my heels dangling attendance on this well meaning ImperialMarplot in this prison-palace of his. But I smothered my feelings likea courtier and murmured an assent--that compliance with his wisheswould be a pleasure.
He laughed, and then in a most un-Emperor-like manner clapped me on theshoulder and said:--
"You'd soon learn the humbug of the courtier, friend. But you must notput all this down to me. You stay by the special desire of the PrinceBilbassoff's beautiful but rather imperious sister, in whose favour youstand high--though you have not always treated her very well, it seems.She has now a great desire for some more of your company, and has sether heart on your remaining to be present at a Court marriage which shehas planned."
"I shall know how to thank the Princess when I see her," I answered,drily enough to make my meaning clear; for the Emperor laughed and saidthat might be true and that the Princess was even now anxious to see meto thank me for past services.
My gratitude to the latter may be imagined; and when the Emperordismissed me, I thought of the pleasure it would afford me to expressit to her.
The opportunity came at once, for I was shewn straight to a saloonwhere she appeared to have been awaiting me.
"We meet, under changed circumstances, Mr. Tregethner--my inclinationto call you Lieutenant is almost irresistible."
"His Majesty has told me, Princess, that it is to you I owe thepleasure of being compelled to stay here at the present time."
"I am glad to have been able to secure you so high a mark of theImperial favour," she answered, her eyes laughing at me, but the restof her features serious. "I am always glad to help those who arecandid and frank with me."
"As glad as you are to be candid and frank with those you help,Princess? Is there another duel in prospect? Or more wrongs to beavenged? In connection with this marriage I hear of, for instance?"
"A fair question," she answered, smiling. She was certainly a verybeautiful woman when she smiled. "There is--but only very indirectly.By the way, do you not wonder that I content myself with giving you nomore than a fortnight's imprisonment?"
"If you knew the punishment it is likely to be to me you would not wishto inflict a heavier."
"You mean, you are so eager to be searching for this girl whomasqueraded as your sister, that you cannot spare a fortnight for theRussian Court. Excuse me; I cannot think that even Englishmen can beso impolite and phlegmatic."
"My 'sister' is very dear to me, Princess," I said, emphasizing theword.
"Oh, yes, we know the value of a lover's sighs and a lover's vows and alover's impatience and a lover's constancy and a lover's everythingelse. And you Englishmen are but like other men in these things."
I didn't understand her, so I held my tongue.
"I dare believe that though you are now so eager to be away on thisromantic search of yours, and are fretting and fuming at the delaywhich I have caused, so that you may have the opportunity of witnessingthe grandeur of the Court marriage I have arranged, you will cool inyour ardour long before the fortnight is out. There are women aboutthe Russian Court, Sir, to the full as fair and witching and sweet asOlga Petrovitch."
"I have the evidence of that before my eyes, Princess," I said, lookingat her and bowing to hide my chagrin at her words.
"You are angry that I hold you fickle. You should not be," she said,with a swift glance reading my mood.
"I have confidence in my faith."
"And I confidence in your lack of it," she retorted, with a touch ofirritation in her tone. "I dare wager heavily that we have here many ayoung girl in whose smiles the fire of your eagerness to leave Russiain this search would be quickly quenched. Nay, I will do more, for Ilove a challenge, and love especially to see a man who vaunts himselfon his strength of purpose and strong will and fidelity overthrown andproved a braggart--but perhaps you dare not be put to a test?" Sheasked this in a tone that made every fibre of purpose in my body thrillwith loyalty to Olga in reply to the taunt.
"Name your test," I answered, shortly.
"I wager you that I will find one among my maidens here who will turnyou from your purpose of leaving us; lure you into more than content toabandon your search; and make you pour into her own pretty ears aconfession that you are glad I caused you to dally here--and all thiswithin three days."
"It is not possible, Princess. I take up your challenge readily, ifonly to while away the hanging time."
She looked at me as if triumphantly.
"You dare say that? Then you are half conquered already. Now I knowyou will----What is it?" she broke off to a servant who came in.
Then after hearing the servant's message, she made an excuse and leftme.
I was more than angry with her. The jest which had for its foundationthe possibility that I should change in half a week and, instead offretting and fuming to begin my search, be reconciled to this mummeryof a flirtation with some Court hack or other, annoyed and disturbedme; and I turned away and gazed out of one of the tall bayed windowsinto the wide courtyard below, and felt ready to consign the wholeworld to destruction, with the exception of that part where Olga mightbe and such a strip as might be necessary for me to get to her.
Against the Princess I was particularly enraged. To hold me for anempty whirligig fool to turn like a magnetised needle in any directionthat any chance magnet might choose to draw me! Stop contentedly?Bosh! Give up the search? Rot! I was so angry when I heard her comeback into the room, that I affected not to know that she was present.And I stared resolutely out of the window pretending to be vastlyinterested in the antics of a couple of big young hounds that weregambolling together. I laughed hugely, and uttered a few exclamationsto myself but loud enough for the Princess to hear.
The Princess took it very coolly, however. She said nothing, and for acouple of minutes the farce went on.
I expected a tirade at my rudeness; but instead I heard the frou-frouof her dress as she crossed the room toward me.
I increased my affected gestures and muttered exclamations, and had amind to let fly an oath, just a little one, to shock her, when she puther face so close to mine that I could feel its warmth, and shewhispered right into my ear:--
"Bad acting. Too self-conscious, Alexis!"
The Princess had won easily. I surrendered without an effort; gave upall thought of the search and was suddenly filled with a glad contentto stop. For the voice was Olga's, and the merry laugh was hers, andthe blush was hers, and the love light was hers too; and the nextmoment I held her in my arms close pressed to my heart.
The Princess had indeed won anyhow, and in much less than three days;and I stopped for that wedding with all the delight in the world--infact nothing could have induced me to miss it.
For the bride was Olga, and the bridegroom myself, once--"that devilAlexis!"
THE END.